Casing-elevator.



S. A. GUIBERSON, J11.

CASING ELEVATOR.

. 1912. 1,073,751. Patented Sept. 23, 1913 Mil/EN T05 Jmul! MZ Qn 1 4% A TTOR/VEY SAMUEL ALLEN GUIBERSCN, JR, 0F COALINGA, CALIFORNIA.

CASING-ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

Application filed December 23, 1912. Serial No. 738,185.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL ALLEN Gurn- ERSON, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Coalinga, in the county of Fresno and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas ing-Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to thatclass of wellcasing elevators in which opposing jawmembers adapted to embrace the casingpipe under its coupling collar are provided at their free ends with an automatic locking means.

The object of my invention is to provide a casing-elevator of this type, the free ends of whose jaw-members are fitted with a simle and efi'ective automatic latch and are ormed with interengaging abutments or bearings adapted for stress resistance without undue dependence upon said latch.

To this end my invention consists in the novel casing-elevator which I shall now fully describe by reference to the 'accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of my casing-elevator; showing it locked. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig.3 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a broken section on the line :c-w of Fig. 1.

1 is one jaw-member of the elevator and 2 is the other jaw-member. These together form the complete embracement for the casing pipe, whether they are symmetrically complemental, as here shown, or one is of greater are than the other. These members are hinged together at some point in their joint circumference, whether at or near their suspension lugs 3, or as here shown on a line 4 midway between said lugs.

One of the members, here shown as that designated by 1, has at its free end a projecting flange 5, from the lower portion of the inner face of which projects at right angles, a lug 6. In the lug 6 is made vertically a socket 7 in which is seated the latch 8, the beveled head 9 of which is normally held projected upward above the lug 6 by a sprin 10.

11 1s a handle, which projects from the outside through a slot 12 in the lug 6, and is connected at its inner end with the latch 8, said handle thus providing the means for manually retracting the latch.

The other member 2 of the elevator has a flange in the form of a tongue 13 extending from its free end, adapted to pass above and to rest upon the lug 6 of the flange 5 of the opposlng member 1. In the lower inner. face of the tongue-flange 13 is made a guide-bevel 14: which is in position to readily force down the latch head 9 as the tongue-flange rides over it. It will now be seen that when the free ends of the two jaws are brought together, the tongue-flange 13 will ride down the beveled head 9 of the latch 8, and said latch will, after the tongue flange has passed, spring up behind said tongue flange and lock it 1n its seat on the lug 6. The two jawmembers are thus locked together and in this position the abutments or bearings are, first the latch on one side and the inner faces of the flange 5 and the tongue flange 13 on the other side, to lock the parts against swinging movement about the hinge line 4-, and, second, the adjacent horizontal faces of the tongue flange 13 and the lug 6 to lock the parts against vertical movement. Thus an interfitting is provided, locking the parts against movement, and the locking is automatic. In the direction of greatest stress in the use of the elevator, namely, vertical, when lifting the casing section from'the ground and lowering it into the well, the strain is not imposed upon the latch, such stress being borne by the interfitting of the tongue flange and lug. To unlock the elevator, the latch is retracted by pressing down the handle 11, whereupon the jaw members 1 and 2 may be swung open.

I claim 1. In a casing-elevator the combination of opposing jaw-members hinged together at one end, the free end of one of said members having an outwardly extending flange with a lug projecting from the lower ortion of its inner face, and the free end 0 the other member having an outwardly extending tongue-flange adapted to fit upon said lug; and a retractable spring-controlled latch mounted in the lug of the flange of the first jaw-member and projecting above said lug in position to automatically lock the ton ueflange of the other jaw-member on said lug.

2. In a casing-elevator, the combination of opposing jaw-members hinged together at one end, the free end of one of said members having an outwardly extending flange with a lug projecting from the lower portion of its inner face, said lug having a vertically disposed socket opening downward from its upper surface, and the free end of the other 

